How to get the most out of an astronomy outreach event

One of the coolest things about amateur astronomy is that we have "star parties." These can be local or informal outreach events open to the public or big events held annually at dark sky sites requiring registration and fees, and attended by people from around the world.

Outreach events

(Above: The Northern Virginia Astronomy Club teams up with Sky Meadows State Park to hold a monthly "Astronomy for Everyone" event for the public where club members provide views of the night sky through their telescopes. That's my white 10-inch in the foreground!)

Many astronony clubs, mine included, have monthly outreach events where volunteers from the club bring our telescopes and show members of the public some of the best celestial objects in the sky. These can have a variety of names, and while not quite the same as the classic star party, they have many elements of one, and the line can be blurred. Generally these are free and open to the public without any prior registration, and having your own telescope or even a knowledge of the night sky is not required—just an interest in seeing interesting objects in the sky and hobnobbing with astro nerds. 

Outreach events are a great chance to dip your toes into astronomy without having to invest in anything other than the gas to drive there and an evening of your time.

Great for beginners

These events are also great for beginners to check out various types of telescopes before buying, and to see what kind of a views can be had with each type and size of telescope. Owners are usually glad to let you look through their telescopes (ask, if there isn't a waiting line) and answer questions about their telescope, being an amateur astronomer, and the objects you are viewing.

If you are the proud owner of a new telescope and need some help, you'll find lots of it at an outreach event. In most cases, members of the public are encouraged to bring their own telescopes. It's always a good idea to get there while there is still plenty of daylight to set up your telescope and see what others have set up. You can get to know some of the other participants and ask them if they can help with your telescope. Just don't expect to show up never having set up your telescope before, aligned it, looked through it, etc. and think someone has the time or inclination to spend their evening getting you started. You need to do as much as you can prior to the event, and if you're still having some issues, explain what they are and ask if someone can give you some pointers. 

Telescopes of many shapes and sizes

There are four basic types of telescope that you may see at an outreach event: 

Refractors: the "typical" telescope that sits on a tripod with the large lens pointed at the sky and a little 90 degree diagonal attachment at the other end containing the eyepiece through which you look. (Pictured: Explore Scientific FirstLight 102mm refractor)

Reflectors: usually consist of a solid metal tube on a tripod or boxlike "Dobsonian" mount with the eyepiece sticking perpendicularly out of the open skyward pointing end of the tube (hidden by the finderscope in this image), or in larger telescopes, a mirror box connected to an upper cage with truss tubes, often requiring a ladder to reach the eyepiece. (Pictured: Apertura AD8 8" Dobsonian)

Catadioptrics ("Cats"): These feature a light path that folds back on itself to create a longer focal length in a short tube. These look like shorter versions of reflectors, with a short, squat tube mounted on a big tripod, and are usually motorized to "go to" objects in a database and track them as the Earth turns. (Pictured: Celestron NexStar 6SE computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope)

You will also increasingly see "smart" telescopes that you don't look through, but are imaging telescopes that build up the image of an object as you watch, usually either on a cell phone or a tablet. (Pictured: ZWO Seestar S30 smart telescope)

The "Big Dobs," (example at right) the second type of reflector described above, will often require a ladder to reach the eyepiece,  and will often have long lines for viewing. Why? Because the larger mirrors used (sometimes 20" or more in diameter and housed in the box at the base of the scope) gather more light and can resolve smaller details. They make it easier to see deep sky objects—star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies—and to discern details that small scopes can't resolve.

But don't neglect the smaller telescopes. Often a high end refractor will show beautiful views of the Moon, brighter planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and double stars and star clusters. "Cats" have narrower fields of view but can also do very well on these objects as well as other deep sky wonders. Smaller reflectors are good general purpose scopes that can give great views of a wide variety of objects. 

Often the owner of the scope will be the biggest factor in determining how much you see and how enjoyable the experience is. Some people just really like to share this stuff, and I count myself among them. We try to give you interesting information about what you are looking at and tips on viewing it to enhance your experience and stimulate your curiosity.

Don't be afraid to bring your own telescope, even if it's very modest compared to others. Many people say that the best scope is the one you use most often. The beauty of small scopes is their portability.

Manage your visual expectations

Each night there are certain objects that will draw many of the telescopes. If Jupiter or Saturn are up, some scopes will certainly be trained on them. Showpiece objects for each season are also popular targets, as we like to show off the "flashy" stuff. The Moon is a great target, unfortunately it washes out the sky for all but the brightest objects, so events are usually planned when the Moon will be out of the way.

However, for deep sky objects, what you see visually in a telescope is nothing at all like the colorful Webb and Hubble space telescope images, or the many other professional or amateur images on the internet. Most people are just floored by seeing Saturn for the first time, but even a bright galaxy might seem like just a colorless faint fuzzy blob to someone seeing it for the first time. It can take years of experience to learn how to see fine detail in these objects.

Left: Messier 17, the Swan Nebula, imaged by the European Southern Observatory (ESO, CC by 2.0, via Flickr)

Left: Messier 17, the Swan Nebula, in the same orientation as it would appear in a typical backyard visual telescope. (Zager Family, CC by 2.0, via Flickr, modified to simulate visual view)

Getting the most from the visual experience

Ask the owner what it is you are looking at, how far away it is, how many stars it contains, does it have a black hole in the center, and appreciate it for what it is. That's the wonder of visual astronomy. Don't expect the view to knock your socks off every time, but appreciate that you're able to see something so huge and far away. Ask what you should be looking for and how to see it. Averted vision, looking away from a faint object slightly to see it better, is one of the big tricks of the trade in visual observing.

Don't touch any equipment unless the owner has told you it's all right. In most cases, the telescope will be aimed properly and you only need to put your eye up to the eyepiece (lens). Ask if you don't know where to put your eye.

For your own part, if you see what looks like bunch of round blobs, it's probably pretty far out of focus and you can ask the owner to help and show you how to focus. Pretty much any view should include many background stars. You want these to look like pinpoints, not blurry dots. When the blobs get smaller, you know you're headed in the right direction. Ask if you're not sure it's in focus.

Sometimes the "seeing," or the steadiness of the atmosphere is not very good, and nothing is completely sharp, but focusing will still get you the best view possible. 

Also, an object may drift out of view in an unmotorized telescope as the Earth turns, or someone may inadvertently bump the scope in the dark, so it may not even be in the field of view anymore. If in doubt, ask if you're looking at the right thing.

If you wear mascara, please don't on this particular night. The grease from mascara can rub off on the eyepiece lens and is very difficult to remove. Some eyepieces in use at outreach events cost many hundreds, and possibly over a thousand dollars. 

For those who wear glasses, some eyepieces have what is called long eye relief, which means you don't have to hold your eye as close to the lens as with some eyepieces to be able to see the entire field of view. In that case, you can leave your glasses on. But if you find much of the view is cut off, taking off your glasses and asking if you can refocus is a better plan, unless you have really bad astigmatism.

Red lights are standard when moving around at an astronomy event. The eye is not very sensitive to red wavelengths, so a red light will preserve night vision. That's why the bridge on a ship at night will use red lights, so the navigators can see out across the waves better. You can buy red flashlights, or put red film or tape across the front of a white light. We hand out rectangles of red film and rubber bands for people to put on their phones, because even a dim screen can still put out a lot of light. 

But a light is a light, so don't shine it in anyone's face or at a telescope when someone is observing or imaging. (Above: Sky Meadows outreach event at night. Image by Drew Prout)

Even in warmer months and climates, it can get much colder at night. Dress warmer than you think you'll need to, and you'll be comfortable. You can always take coats or jackets off. Bring bug spray if needed, but DO NOT spray it anywhere remotely near anyone's optics. Best to get a pump spray, spray on your hand when you're at your car, and then smear it on you.

Because we are at the mercy of nature, it's always possible that an event will be clouded or rained out. Keep an eye on the weather forecast, paying special attention to whether it is predicted to be clear or cloudy. Even in a partly cloudy sky, you may still be able to observe many objects. And we all know forecasts are not always right. Some events will happen rain or shine, with presentations and activities in the event of bad weather. Check the announcements to know what to expect so you don't make a trip out and find you're disappointed.

Astronomy events are great for kids

Kids love events where they can be out at night and see cool stuff. But they are notorious for wanting to just give a telescope a great big bear hug when they step up to look in one, so if you're bringing the little ones, explain in advance that they shouldn't touch the equipment. In most cases, it won't hurt the telescope, but it may knock it off the target, requiring the operator to recenter it. Putting fingers on the lens is a big no-no. (Credit: Aurore Simonnet, CC by 4.0, via WikiMedia)

Kids love to run around in the dark, but running around telescopes can be dangerous and can damage expensive equipment. Usually there is room for kids to run on the periphery of the star party, as long as they are away from the parking and driving lanes.

Many owners will have small step stools for younger kids to be able to reach the eyepiece comfortably. Ask if you don't see one. Don't try to hold your child up to the eyepiece. It's unlikely you will be able to hold them steady enough to get a decent view. Give them time to adjust to looking in the eyepiece. They might say they see the object, but kids often don't want to admit when they don't, so the owner might ask a few questions to make sure they are seeing it and it's in focus. 

What not to ask

Some questions or comments can be a bit troublesome for some astronomers, so here are a few to avoid:

• How much does this cost? Telescopes and equipment can cost for several hundred to many thousands of dollars. How expensive one is really doesn't matter and might be embarrassing to some owners unless you are into a conversation about buying a similar scope. They also don't want to advertise that they have expensive equipment that someone might be tempted to walk away with once they turn their backs. You can look up prices on the internet.
• Can you see the [flag, landers, footprints] on the Moon? These are way too small for any Earth-based or even Earth-orbiting telescope to see. It's not really a stupid question, but a little thought can probably get you the answer on your own. Check out the related links in my Becoming a Lunatic post if you're interested. Better question: Can you show me where Apollo 11 (or other lunar craft) landed?
• How did you get into Astrology? Astronomy is science. Astrology is mysticism. Two different disciplines entirely. (And it's "Scorpius," not "Scorpio"!) Substitute "Astronomy" for "Astrology," and you've got a great question there.
• Can I take a picture through the telescope with my cell phone? Holding up a cell phone to the eyepiece is not an easy thing to do, and often yields a pretty mediocre image. It will also take time away from others who want to view. There might be astronomers in attendance who have "smart" scopes where they can share digital images that you see on the screen- just ask.

The Classic Star Party

The strict definition usually used for a star party is a regularly occurring gathering of amateur astronomers who travel to a dark sky location to observe together over the course of several nights. These usually require registration, often well in advance, and include a fee for camping and participating. They will usually have guest speakers, workshops, vendors, and other organized activities during the day, with observing at night.

A few examples of the biggest star parties in the United States include Cherry Springs/Black Forest Star Party (Pennsylvania), Oregon Star Party, Texas Star Party, Okie-Tex Star Party, and in Canada (Ontario), Starfest. Go Astronomy has a good list of major star parties in the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, and Australia. 

Above: Starfest, held in Ayton, Ontario, is the largest star party in Canada.

Astronomy Magazine's article on star parties is a good start to get an idea of the attraction of these star parties.